


A Game of Cards

by humanity



Category: Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Disabled Character, Doctor/Companion Friendship, F/F, F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-12-27
Updated: 2016-01-11
Packaged: 2018-03-03 18:46:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 4,237
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2863547
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/humanity/pseuds/humanity
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The Doctor and Jack are baffled by a mysterious energy from a distant planet.  No Daleks, no Cybermen, and no Weeping Angels are involved--what is causing it, and what does it want?  Rating for later chapters.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I thought it would be interesting if the Doctor had a companion with a physical disability--what new challenges would arise, how their relationship would play out, etc. And I also really love Jack.
> 
> *also, some of the tags are for later chapters, just in case any of you were confused

The TARDIS groans in protest as Jack stumbles through the hallway, scanner in hand. “Doctor,” he calls uneasily. When met with no response, he continues to run in what he hopes is the direction of the console room.

“Doctor!” he cries again, his eyes flickering back and forth from hallway to scanner. “I think you should take a look at these readings!”

When he finally reaches the console room at the end of the hallway, he finds it empty. Huffing in frustration, Jack slumps against the console, tucking the scanner in his pocket. His eyes skim over the room as he catches his breath, and he absently twists a button on the console. The TARDIS lurches suddenly to the left and Jack leaps in surprise, flinging his hand from the console and nearly toppling over the Doctor who is now racing toward him.

“What did you do?!” the Doctor yells as he reaches for the console.

“Oh, relax, I just messed up the stablizers a bit,” Jack says, turning to face the Doctor.

“A bit?!” the Doctor cries, fingers fumbling around various buttons and levers. “We nearly crash-landed in 1873!”

“Yikes,” Jack says, chuckling.

The Doctor spins around, his eyebrows furrowed angrily. “This isn’t a joke! It’s the TARDIS!”

Jack shakes his head, holding back a smirk. When the Doctor shows no signs of calming down, Jack pulls the scanner from his pocket and lightly taps the screen, turning it on. He turns it around to face the Doctor. “Look at this,” he says.

The Doctor steps closer, squinting, leaning down slightly to read the scanner. “What is it?”

“There’s abnormal activity around the planet Dromaxi,” Jack explains, pointing to the spike of energy depicted on the screen. “I tried scanning for Daleks, Cybermen, even the Weeping Angels—they don’t have anything to do with it.”

“What about the Silence?”

“They’re not there either. So I broadened the search,” Jack taps a button on the side of the scanner. “There’s no signal from any known life form in the universe. Even a human should’ve put something out.” The Doctor takes the scanner from Jack’s hands. “So what’s creating all that energy?”

The Doctor races to the other side of the console, dragging the TARDIS scanner around with him. Reaching forward, he grabs several wires and uses them to connect Jack’s scanner to the TARDIS’s. Jack follows him.

“What is it? Can you find what’s causing those energy spikes?” Jack asks, his head tipping back as he watches the TARDIS scanner.

“Maybe,” the doctor mutters, giving the scanner a little shake before pressing a few buttons on the console. The scanner screen blinks red for a few seconds, then goes black.

It flashes again, this time in white. Error, it reads. “What?!” the Doctor exclaims, shaking the scanner again. The screen goes black.

The Doctor hurriedly unplugs Jack’s scanner and rushes over to another part of the console, this time lifting the surface away to reveal the yellow-orange glow of the telepathic circuits.

“What are you doing?” Jack asks.

The Doctor rolls his eyes and ignores Jack’s question as he gently places his hands in the circuits, closing his eyes in concentration.

The TARDIS moans, and Jack can feel it lifting from the ground. He takes a step back to steady himself, leaning on the railing. The console whirs, the symbols on the top moving in slow circles. With a jostling lurch, the TARDIS moans once again and the Doctor is thrown from the console, landing rather ungracefully, slouched against the railing.

“Where are we?” Jack asks.

The Doctor slowly stands, straightening his suit. “If we ever have anything to do with that energy in the future, it would be in my time stream, don’t you think?” He walks over to the scanner, looking it over. “It looks like we’re only about five minutes further along.”

Jack raises his eyebrows. “Isn’t that against the laws of time or something?” he asks. “What if you meet your future self?”

“That would be bad, yes,” the Doctor says, turning to Jack. “Potentially disastrous. But the TARDIS wouldn’t take me here if it would do too much harm. I think we should have a little faith in her, don’t you?” The Doctor pats the console affectionately.

“If you say so, Doctor,” Jack says. “But if we get into trouble, it’s your fault.”

“You always say that.”

“It’s always true.”


	2. Chapter 2

“You still haven’t answered my question,” Jack says as they exit the TARDIS. “Where exactly are we?”

The Doctor purses his lips as he looks around. The room is large and brightly lit, bustling with activity. It appears to be some sort of lobby. People walk at various paces throughout the entire room, each focused on wherever their intended destination is. Most ignore the bright blue police box that is conspicuously parked in the corner of the room, and some, the Doctor notes, aren’t even human.

Jack puts a hand on his hip as he raises his eyebrows expectantly. “Well?”

“I believe…” the Doctor pulls his sonic screwdriver from his breast pocket, quickly scanning the air around him. He squints at the readings, then his eyes brighten with realization. “Yes!” He tucks his sonic safely in his pocket, then clears his throat as he gently closes the TARDIS door. “We’re at the best hospital in the universe,” he says. “The Sisters of the Infinite Schism.”

“Best hospital in the _universe_?” Jack says skeptically. “I thought the Pandorica was the best hospital in the universe.”

“The Pandorica?” It comes out harsher than the Doctor intended, and Jack takes a half a step back in surprise. “What makes the Pandorica a hospital?”

“Well,” Jack says. “You can’t die in it.”

The Doctor shakes his head and begins to walk deeper into the lobby. “The front desk is this way,” he says, pointing. “We should probably start there. They might not be completely useless.”

Jack follows him through the lobby.

“The Pandorica isn’t a hospital,” the Doctor says as they walk. “And if it was, it certainly wouldn’t be the best in the universe. It’s a prison. The best _prison_.”

“Same thing, isn’t it?”

The Doctor shrugs, and they walk in silence until they arrive at the front desk, where they are greeted warmly by a blue-skinned reptilian woman in glasses. “How may I help you?” she asks.

The Doctor pulls the psychic paper from his breast pocket. “I’m John Smith, this is Jack Harkness. We’re under orders from the Council to inspect this establishment.”

The woman squints at the paper for a moment, then looks up at them, smiling. “I see,” she says. “Yes, of course, sir. I’m sure I can find someone to show you around. It might be a few moments, you may wait in the lobby.”

“Great. Thanks,” the Doctor says, then turns and walks back in the direction of the TARDIS, placing the psychic paper back in his pocket. He finds a bench against the wall, in a relatively dimly-lit corner of the lobby. He sits down and Jack joins him.

“Why did the TARDIS take us here, though?” Jack asks. “If we’re looking for a sudden rise in energy on the planet Dromaxi, why would we be here?”

The Doctor sighs, rubbing his eyes. “We are on the planet Dromaxi, Jack,” he says, his voice low. “And the energy isn’t what worries me. Hospitals are full of energy, stuffed with it. All those emotions—happiness, desperation, anger…And so many people experiencing them. Hospitals generate energy, it’s what they do. It’s not the energy that worries me, it’s the fact that whatever is responsible for generating so much of it isn’t recognized as a life form by the TARDIS.”

“This isn’t the first time this has happened, though,” Jack says. “There are creatures clever enough to outsmart machines. To remain unrecognizable during scans. They’re tricky, but not impossible.”

“Nothing can outsmart the TARDIS,” the Doctor says. “The TARDIS isn’t a machine. If there were life forms causing that energy, the TARDIS would know. So, either there were indeed no life forms or the TARDIS is withholding information from us.”

“Which do you think happened?” Jack asks.

The Doctor opens his mouth to reply but is cut off when a small, round man appears before them, holding a clipboard to his chest. “Good day, gentlemen,” he says, smiling. “I am Doctor Field. I am told you two are from the Council?”

“Yes, we are,” the Doctor says, standing up. Jack follows his lead. “We won’t be long, we just need to make sure everything is…Up to code.”

The man furrows his brow in confusion, glancing briefly down at the clipboard before clearing his throat. “I…Um…Alright then, I suppose I could…Show you around…Follow me.”

Doctor Field leads the Doctor and Jack through various hallways and rooms, giving brief descriptions and allowing them a moment to look around. The three of them are watching one of the surgeons demonstrate a hand-washing procedure when the Doctor suddenly turns and starts to leave. “Where are you going?” Jack asks, interrupting the surgeon, who is currently scrubbing her hand with a small brush.

“Just…To the bathroom,” the Doctor says unconvincingly. Jack raises his eyebrows. “Be back in a minute.”

The Doctor gives a confused-looking Doctor Field a small nod before leaving the room. Once in the hallway, he retrieves his sonic screwdriver from his pocket and quickly scans the area in short spurts. He squints down at the readings. They show that the energy is coming from somewhere to his left. He turns in that direction and finds a long and poorly-lit hallway.

“Excuse me, can I help you?” a woman’s voice interrupts his train of thought. He looks up, hurriedly concealing the sonic behind his back, to find a nurse standing next to him in the hallway.

“No, I um…” the Doctor bites his lip as he looks to his left. “I’m just a bit lost. Tell me—what’s down there?” he points to his left, straight down the hallway.

The nurse looks down the hallway. “Intensive care,” she answers.

The Doctor nods. “Ah, I see. Thank you.”

The nurse smiles politely and continues walking in the direction she was going, and the Doctor makes his way down the hallway, using the readings on his sonic as a guide.

The hallway leads to a wide corridor. A few people dressed in various medical uniforms walk by, but for the most part it is empty. The Doctor glances at the readings one last time, and his brow furrows in confusion. Lips pursed, he shrugs uneasily and walks forward for a few minutes, before finally stopping in front of a door. His hand hesitates over the doorknob, and his heart pounds in anticipation. Whatever is creating the energy spikes is merely inches away.

The door opens without protest and the Doctor steps inside, closing it behind him. It is a standard hospital room, with a single bed lying at the far end, surrounded with various machinery. On the bed lies a crumpled humanoid form, curled into the fetal position, chest rising and falling in deep sleep.

The Doctor tentatively walks closer. It is a woman, he realizes. Her hair is long and blond, but half of it is shaved off, and the Doctor cannot tell if it is meant to be a fashion statement or if it was done as a result of whatever disease she is in here for.

The Doctor nears her bed, and she stirs. She turns slowly in his direction, eyes still closed. He takes a step back. She opens her eyes, and for a moment she looks confused. “Who are you?” she asks.

The Doctor regards her carefully for a moment before slowly saying, “I’m the Doctor.”

Recognition floods her eyes, and she shakily sits up in her bed. “Not a medical one, though,” she says, her lips curving into the beginnings of a smile. It is a statement, not a question.

The Doctor looks at her skeptically, and his voice is harsher when he speaks again. “How do you know that?” he asks.

The woman only smiles and falls back onto her pillow, closing her eyes once more. The Doctor walks up to her bedside. “How do you know me?” he asks, louder this time. “Who are you?”


	3. Chapter 3

The Doctor storms across the lobby, eyes dangerous and eyebrows furrowed angrily.  His angry stomps attract the attention of many in the lobby, and their eyes follow him as he disappears into the corner where he parked the TARDIS mere hours before.  He stuffs his fist into his pocket and yanks out the key, which he impatiently jams into the door.  He hears her groan of protest but only manages to lightly pat the worn blue wood absently as he drops the key back into his pocket.

He pushes open the door with an angry huff, and as he slams the door behind him the sound echoes around the console room.  When he looks up, he is surprised to see that Jack is already leaning languidly on the far end of the console, a hand on his hip and his eyes narrowed.  He's angry, the Doctor can tell, but he doesn't make any effort to pacify him as he crosses over the the console.

“So? What happened?” Jack asks, a cautious tone to his voice.  "Did you find out what it was?"

The Doctor punches a few buttons on the console, typing several long strings of incomprehensible numbers and words into the scanner.  As Jack casually walks over to him, he notices that some of the words are in Gallifreyan.

"Doctor," Jack says, his voice low and impatient.  " _What happened_?"

The Doctor sighs angrily, his nostrils flaring.  “I don’t know,” he says, his voice stiff. “I found the source of the energy, but it…It got complicated."

“What was it?” Jack asks, eyes flashing with concern.

The Doctor doesn’t respond, but instead reaches for the scanner as he hurriedly turns a few more knobs on the console. “Never mind that,” he says gruffly as the TARDIS leaps into flight. “I’m taking you back home.”

“I don’t have a home,” Jack chuckles dryly. “And I’m not leaving.”

“Yes, you are,” the Doctor says stubbornly. “And I’ll just drop you off at Clara’s. I doubt she’ll mind.”

“Doctor,” Jack says, voice raising.  The Doctor pulls one of the levers and the TARDIS sways ungracefully to the left.  “Doctor!" Jack cries as he reaches for the railing for support.  "Just tell me what was up there! I can help you!"

The Doctor simply pushes a few buttons on the scanner and the TARDIS lands with a jolt. “Here. You should be…Somewhere in the 21st century. Hopefully there’s someone nearby who can take care of you.”

“I can take care of myself, thank you,” Jack says. “And once again, I’m not leaving.”

The Doctor spins and walks toward the door, opening it. “Here. Look,” he gestures out the door, where a congested sidewalk greets them. “21st century. Nothing like it.”

Jack doesn’t move from the console room, gripping the railing stubbornly. “I’m not going.”

“Why does everyone do this? I’m doing this for your own protection—”

“I’m hundreds of years old! I can protect myself!”

“I’m thousands of years old, this is my TARDIS, and I’m telling you to leave!” the Doctor’s eyes darken and his hand stiffens on the door. After a moment’s hesitation and an especially withering glare, Jack crosses over to the door and steps out onto the concrete.

“Be careful, Doctor,” he says, then turns and walks away, disappearing into the mass of bodies around him.

 

 

- _one hour earlier-_

 

 

“Who are you?” the Doctor asks, struggling to keep his expression neutral.

The girl smiles. “I’m Kirsa,” she says. “Why?”

The Doctor steps back, reaching into his pocket and retrieving his scanner. “I have been monitoring this area for the past three hours,” he says. “And there is a massively powerful source of energy emitting from this very spot.” He waits, and the girl raises her eyebrows.

“…And?” she asks, her voice raised slightly in amusement. “Why are you telling me about it?”

The Doctor narrows his eyes and his long fingers clench tighter around the scanner. “Because I’m assuming, since the energy directs here, you must have something to do with it!” he says, his voice terse. He takes a deep breath, straightening his shoulders. He raises his eyebrows and looks expectantly at her. “Well?” he says impatiently. “What is it, then? Out with it.”

The girl smiles, brushing a wispy strand of blond hair from her face. “Sorry,” she says. “I can’t tell you.” The Doctor opens his mouth to protest, but she holds a finger up to silence him. “But,” she says. “I think I know someone who can.”

The Doctor looks at her with a mixed expression of anger, impatience, and confusion before he hears the footsteps from the hallway--distant at first, but growing closer and closer.

They are loud footsteps, harsh clicks against the tile floor.  They have a brisk, certain pace, and they cease when the Doctor is certain their owner is just behind the door.  Several seconds stretch by, and the Doctor can hear his hearts beating aggressively in his chest.  His empty hand is reaching for his screwdriver when the doorknob slowly turns and the door eases open.

His reaction is immediate.

He would recognize her anywhere, but he wasn’t expecting her to be here.  His mouth hangs open in silent surprise, and he involuntarily takes a step back.  A hospital just seems to contradict her too much, like oil in water. A hospital is too simple, too everyday, and she is impossible.  Her feet shake unsteadily from the height of her high-heeled shoes, and she struggles to balance on the carpeted floor of the room. Even so, she stands proudly by the threshold, her hands clasped neatly behind her back. She has traded her long, black dress for an equally dark pencil skirt and rather tight white blouse, and several gaudy pieces of jewelry hang from her neck and decorate her wrists and fingers. Her dark hair has been sloppily pulled into a ponytail, which has been brushed over her right shoulder, where it falls in messy curls. He is keenly aware of the danger her very presence implies, and a dark curiosity seeps through him as he watches her walk into the room, closing the door behind her.  Her garish red lipstick only accentuates the half-smile half-smirk she is giving him, and her heavily made-up eyes glisten.

He closes his gaping mouth and slowly returns his scanner to his pocket. He clears his throat, brushing his now-empty fingers down the buttons of his coat before letting his arms hang limp at his sides.

She takes another step closer to him, her smile growing wider. “What, aren’t you going to say hello?” she asks, her voice dipped in honey. “It’s been quite a while, hasn’t it?”

The Doctor doesn’t respond at first, turning his head to give the sick girl behind him an incredulous glare. Slowly, he turns back to her.

When he speaks, his tone is uncharacteristically submissive.

“Yes, Missy.”


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry I haven't updated this in such a long time, it just sort of slipped between the cracks. I'll try to get better about that. 
> 
> This fic was started before season 9, so I'm not going to reference anything that happens to Clara or the Doctor in the season 9 finale. This would take place sometime after "Sleep No More" and before "Face the Raven." 
> 
> Mild spoilers for Missy and Clara in the season 9 premiere.

Missy smirks, placing a manicured hand on her hip. “Where’s your puppy?” she asks.  
“My what?”  
“Your puppy,” Missy says again, cocking her head to one side. “You know, the little one. Wide face with brown eyes.”  
The Doctor furrows his eyebrows. “I don’t have a dog.”  
Missy chuckles, stepping fully into the room. She casually pushes the door shut behind her, her eyes fixed on the Doctor. “What would you call Clara, then?” she asks innocently.  
The Doctor huffs angrily, taking a step back. He opens his mouth to retort but Missy holds up a hand to stop him, walking over to the woman in the bed.   
“Don’t get your eyebrows all tangled up, dear,” Missy says. “You have your puppy…” She sits at the foot of the bed and pats the woman’s shoulder lovingly. “And I have mine.”  
The woman smiles mischievously up at the Doctor, who is now more confused than ever. “What kind of trap is this?” he asks quietly.  
Missy’s smile wavers. “This is no trap,” she says, her voice less sing-song and more genuine. “I need your help.”

 

-one hour later-

 

The Doctor fumbles with the TARDIS scanner, plugging in coordinates. He moves about the console, preparing to take off, when suddenly a knock sounds at the door.  
“Doctor, it’s me! Let me in!”  
The Doctor scowls at the voice, pretending to ignore it. He presses another button on the console and reaches for a lever.  
“Doctor, why did you lock the door? Let me in!”  
He turns to the door. “Go away!” he shouts forcefully.  
There is silence from the other side, and the Doctor reaches for the lever once again.  
Then he hears a key moving in the door.  
He turns quickly just in time to see the TARDIS door swing open. Clara stands in the threshold, smiling. “What, you thought you could just lock me out?”  
“I…Uh…” the Doctor bites his lip with apprehension as he watches her step into the TARDIS and close the door behind her. She puts a hand on her hip and regards him with a playful smirk. “I don’t think you should come along for…For this next…Adventure.”  
Clara raises her eyebrows. “Yeah? And why is that?”  
The Doctor shrugs. “Shenanigans?”  
She frowns. “Doctor, I can take care of myself. What’s going on?”  
He sighs as she leans against the console railing. “It’s Missy again,” he says, surprised when Clara doesn’t grimace. “She needs my help, and…I’m going to help her.”  
“Really?” Clara asks. “So you aren’t upset with her anymore?”  
“I never said that,” the Doctor says. “Are you sure you still want to come with me? The woman put you in a Dalek, for God’s sake.”  
Clara half-smiles. “I’m sure, Doctor,” she says. She breaks away from the console railing and takes a few quick strides over to the console. She looks up at the scanner. “So…Where are we going, anyway?”  
“Aren’t you going to ask what she needs help with?”  
“I’ll probably figure it out. Where are we going?”  
She has that dangerous glint in her eyes again, the kind that’s always made him worry about her. “Sisters of the Infinite Schism,” he says, pulling down the lever. The TARDIS whirs as it takes off. “Intensive Care, to be specific.”   
“Alright, then,” Clara says.   
She laughs with exhilaration as the TARDIS swings suddenly to the side and she is thrown back against the railing. The Doctor watches her with concerned eyes.  
They land with a jolt, and Clara immediately starts toward the door. He grabs her shoulder, holding her back. “Stay here,” he says quietly. “I don’t want you to get hurt.”  
“You’ve never minded before,” Clara says, pouting.  
“Well, I’m minding now,” the Doctor says. He walks past her and places a hand on the door. He turns back to her. “Stay put. I’ll only be a minute.”  
Clara huffs, sinking back onto the railing. The Doctor pushes the door open and disappears.  
Once outside, the Doctor discovers, to his delight, that he has landed right in the intensive care hallway. He walks down the hall until he finds the appropriate room. He pushes the door open.  
Missy stands in the center of the room with the young woman propped up against her arm. The Doctor gestures for them to follow him out of the room.  
Missy walks, dragging the woman slowly behind her. The woman can hardly walk, the Doctor notices; only putting her feet down occasionally and only when Missy is holding her tight. He frowns at her wobbling legs.  
By the time they have all made it into the hallway, Missy is already exhausted. “So, where’s our lift?” she asks, trying to conceal her labored pants.  
The Doctor points down the hall. “That way,” he says. He moves over to the other side of the woman, grabbing her shoulder to support her. “I’ll help.”  
The woman smiles gratefully up at him, and the three of them gradually walk to the TARDIS.  
The door swings open and Clara jumps. The Doctor enters first, then Missy, then the woman. He whispers something in Missy’s ear and she nods, guiding the woman into the console room.  
Missy smiles at Clara as she walks by. “Hello, poppet!” she says brightly. “I knew you had her hidden somewhere, Doctor.”  
Clara says nothing as she watches Missy haul the woman through the console room and into the hallway. She turns to the Doctor. “Just what exactly is going on?” she hisses. “Who is that woman? And why is Missy being so…Civil?”  
“I thought you were going to figure it all out as we go along,” the Doctor says cheekily.  
Clara only glares at him.  
The Doctor sighs. “It’s a bit complicated,” he says. “I was with Jack, and he found these huge spikes of energy, and…Anyway, Missy was there.”  
Clara looks unimpressed. “Excellent summarizing as always, Doctor,” she says sarcastically. “Just tell me what’s going on.”  
The Doctor sighs once more, dragging his hand through his hair. “Well…Uh…That woman…She’s…” he clears his throat. Clara raises her eyebrows expectantly. “She’s Missy’s TARDIS.”


End file.
